WWE SummerSlam 2018: Will The Undertaker Make His Long-Awaited Return?

WWE fans have been clamouring for the return of The Undertaker. Photo by Ed Webster (flickr) [CC License].

This year’s SummerSlam promises to be one of the most star-studded events in WWE history

Could The Undertaker make his long-awaited return soon?

Should wrestling fans expect to see John Cena and Dean Ambrose?

Next to WrestleMania, SummerSlam is one of WWE’s biggest and most anticipated events all year, and the 2018 installment live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is bound to be no exception. Already multiple matches have been announced for the card, showing plenty of promise on paper.

Between Raw and SmackDown Live, SummerSlam is sure to be stacked with star power. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey will be involved in championship clashes at the event while AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins takes on Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title.

Conspicuous by his absence on the card, however, is The Undertaker, who has been persona non grata on WWE programming since Greatest Royal Rumble. However, according to reliable wrestling source Wrestling Standard, he might be around to compete this year more than fans originally expected:

The hope backstage is that The Undertaker will be willing to wrestle more frequently, potentially up to four or five times this year.

Along with Undertaker, there are several other Superstars who could potentially return at the August extravaganza. After all, SummerSlam has hosted many comebacks in the past, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see any of the following competitors resurface on August 19 in Brooklyn.

Inactive WWE Superstars: Odds of Return at SummerSlam 2018

Wrestler

Odds

The Undertaker

25-3

John Cena

17-4

Dean Ambrose

2-3

Jason Jordan

4-1

The Undertaker

Over the course of his career, The Undertaker has been much more synonymous with WrestleMania than he ever has with SummerSlam. In fact, he has missed a majority of WWE’s SummerSlam shows over the past decade, only making a rare appearance at the 2015 installment in the main event against Brock Lesnar.

During that time period, it seemed Undertaker would be around more frequently, but he reverted back to his once-a-year schedule starting with WrestleMania 32. He recently defeated Rusev at Greatest Royal Rumble and even competed at a house show in Madison Square Garden, so a return for The Deadman shouldn’t be ruled out.

Then again, where would Undertaker fit in at SummerSlam?

We are already two weeks into the build for the pay-per-view and there is no sign that Undertaker will be in action at the event. A match against AJ Styles for the WWE title would have been an awesome attraction, but Styles is set to face Samoa Joe instead.

It was rumored coming out of WrestleMania 34 that Undertaker and John Cena might have unfinished business.

It was rumored coming out of WrestleMania 34 that he and John Cena might have unfinished business and a rematch at SummerSlam could be in the cards. If that was the case, one of them would have resurfaced by now to get the match in motion.

With that in mind, it might be a little longer before we see Undertaker on WWE programming again.

John Cena

It’s no secret that John Cena has become quite the mainstream star in recent years, branching off into acting and award show hosting. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either, considering he has faced virtually everyone on the Raw and SmackDown rosters.

Furthermore, he has accomplished it all, from winning the world title 16 times to headlining WrestleMania on multiple occasions to even becoming Mr. Money in the Bank. There is no reason for him to rush back into the ring if it isn’t necessary, but he has taken pride in being Mr. SummerSlam before.

Cena embarked on a lengthy losing streak at SummerSlam starting in 2011 that saw him lose every match he was a part of until just last year when he beat Baron Corbin. That bout felt thrown together at the last minute, meaning there’s no reason for him to do the same thing this year.

Have him sit on the sidelines for the foreseeable future and focus on other endeavors until an exciting angle arises for him to take part in.

Dean Ambrose

Despite not being around since late last year, Dean Ambrose has been the topic of discussion for many WWE fans lately. His presence on Raw has sorely been missed and he would definitely be a big boost to the brand when he is cleared to compete again, which will hopefully be soon.

The initial timetable indicated that he’d be back in the ring around September, but knowing WWE, it’s entirely possible he will return ahead of schedule. After all, his buddy Seth Rollins has been outnumbered by Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre for weeks, so having him even the odds alongside Rollins would be a logical way for him to return.

An Ambrose vs. Reigns feud over the title for the fall season would do wonders for Raw.

If not that, perhaps Ambrose will be envious of the endless opportunities Roman Reigns has received at the Universal Championship. An Ambrose vs. Reigns feud over the title for the fall season would do wonders for Raw, and kicking that program off at SummerSlam would undoubtedly close out the night on a high note.

Either way, expect to see Ambrose make some sort of a splash at SummerSlam.

Jason Jordan

Of course, Jason Jordan sticks out like a sore thumb on a list like this with so many established stars, but he was making great strides as an annoying heel before suffering a neck injury at the onset of 2018. He and Seth Rollins were running the Raw tag team division prior to that point and a feud pitting them against each other was only inevitable.

Jordan might want to make amends with Rollins upon his return, leading to him getting involved in the Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam.

Jordan might want to make amends with Rollins upon his return, leading to him getting involved in the Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam. The Brooklyn crowd would rally behind Rollins as he comes close to regaining the gold before erupting into a chorus of boos once Jordan hits the ring.

The return of the former Raw and SmackDown Tag Team champion is imminent, and SummerSlam would be the proper place for him to resurface and remind fans what he’s all about.

Since 2010, Graham Mirmina has served as a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and contributes work to WhatCulture and Daily DDT. An Endicott College alumnus, Graham has been with SBD since 2018 and is currently pursuing his master's in Digital Journalism.

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